Common guitarfish

Common guitarfish
Conservation status
	; Critically Endangered (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Chondrichthyes
Subclass:	Elasmobranchii
Superorder:	Batoidea
Order:	Rhinopristiformes
Family:	Rhinobatidae
Genus:	Rhinobatos
Species:	R. rhinobatos
Binomial name
	Rhinobatos rhinobatos; Linnaeus, 1758
Synonyms
	Leiobatus panduratus Rafinesque, 1810; Raia columnae Blainville, 1816; Raja rhinobatos Linnaeus, 1758; Rhinobatus columnae Bonaparte, 1836; Rhinobatus duhameli Blainville, 1825; Rhinobatus rhinobatus (Linnaeus, 1758); Squatinoraja colonna Nardo, 1824;

The common guitarfish (Rhinobatos rhinobatos) is a species of cartilaginous

Rhinobatidae. It is native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It is a bottom-dwelling fish feeding on crustaceans, other invertebrates

and fish. The females give birth to live young. Its lifestyle makes it vulnerable to trawling and other fishing methods, populations seem to be declining and it has disappeared from parts of its range.

Description

The common guitarfish can grow to a length of about 147 cm (58 in), but a more normal length is about 80 cm (30 in). The dorsal surface is khaki-brown and the underparts are white.[3] It is very similar in appearance to the blackchin guitarfish (Glaucostegus cemiculus), which shares its distribution, but is generally smaller, has larger eyes, more widely separated rostral ridges, a longer front nasal lobe and a wider back nasal flap.^[4]

Distribution

The common guitarfish is found in the north Atlantic Ocean from the Bay of Biscay to Angola^[1] and in the southern Mediterranean Sea.^[5] It cruises slowly around just above the seabed, sometimes resting on the sand or mud and semi-covering itself with sediment.^[3]

Ecology

The common guitarfish is a

gestation period is about four months,^[1] and the young develop inside the female, obtaining nourishment from their yolk sacs at first, and later from uterine secretions of their mother.^[3]

Status

The common guitarfish lives close to the coast and breeds in shallow water. This makes it vulnerable, and it is fished, primarily as

critically endangered".^[1]

References

^
doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T63131A124461877.en
. Retrieved 20 November 2021.

^ Bailly, Nicolas (2015). "Rhinobatos rhinobatos (Linnaeus, 1758)". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Rhinobatos rhinobatos (Linnaeus, 1758): Common guitarfish". FishBase. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
^ "Common guitarfish (Rhinobates rhinobatos)". Fishes of the NE Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Marine Species Identification Portal. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
^ Guide of Mediterranean Skates and Rays (Rhinobatos rhinobatos). Oct. 2022. Mendez L., Bacquet A. and F. Briand.http://www.ciesm.org/Guide/skatesandrays/rhinobatos-rhinobatos

[iucn_status_20_November_2021-1] 
doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T63131A124461877.en
. Retrieved 20 November 2021.

[WoRMS-2] Bailly, Nicolas (2015). "Rhinobatos rhinobatos (Linnaeus, 1758)". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 16 January 2016.

[FishBase-3] "Rhinobatos rhinobatos (Linnaeus, 1758): Common guitarfish". FishBase. Retrieved 16 January 2016.

[MSIP-4] "Common guitarfish (Rhinobates rhinobatos)". Fishes of the NE Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Marine Species Identification Portal. Retrieved 17 January 2016.

[5] Guide of Mediterranean Skates and Rays (Rhinobatos rhinobatos). Oct. 2022. Mendez L., Bacquet A. and F. Briand.http://www.ciesm.org/Guide/skatesandrays/rhinobatos-rhinobatos

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